On the other hand, Graham Rahal won't be hearing anything about his favorite team's game until after he's done racing tomorrow.

Carpenter, a Butler alumnus and basketball season-ticket holder, will hold a casual gathering at a downtown St. Petersburg bar and grill to watch Saturday's game, a brief break from competing in Sunday's Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the Izod IndyCar Series season opener.

Rahal, an avid Ohio State fan, will have to wait for news of his Buckeyes' battle Sunday with Iowa State. That game starts at 12:15 p.m. ET, while the race begins at 12:40 p.m.

"I doubt I'll be getting any updates over the radio," said Rahal, joking about his father, Bobby Rahal, being on the other end of the radio. "I don't think Dad would be very happy about that."

The NCAA tournament has a rather prominent place in the background of this year's IndyCar opener, which has become a racing spring break for Midwestern race fans, especially those based in Indiana. T-shirts and hats worn by fans of Butler, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State were spotted in the paddock and on the grounds at the grand prix, a street race in downtown St. Pete.

For Carpenter, the last few basketball seasons have been magical. Butler made it to the NCAA championship game in 2010 and 2011, losing to Duke in 2010 and Connecticut in 2011. After the heartbreaking loss to Duke at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Carpenter sent a conciliatory text to Stevens, who responded 30 minutes after the game ended.

"I'm a passionate Butler fan" said Carpenter who will start 23rd Sunday. "I love the university and respect the basketball program. This isn't really that much different than any other game, except that if I were home I'd probably have a couple of beers. By the time we're watching the game, we've already made our decisions for the morning warmup and have an idea of what we're going to do for the race, so it's kind of nice to get away and kick back and watch the game."

Rahal, who has lived in the Columbus, Ohio, area his entire life, said he's no different than anyone else who lives there — an Ohio State fanatic.

"You have to be," Rahal said. "I've been a Buckeye nut for years. I just love it. It's a lot of fun being surrounded by a school that strives to succeed in everything they do. My little sister goes there now, so for me it's fun to go back and see games and be a part of it all."

They aren't alone in their interest in college basketball and the games being played this weekend. Penske Racing President Tim Cindric, a native of Indianapolis, was recruited by former Indiana coach Bob Knight before choosing Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he scored more than 1,000 points in a four-year basketball career for the Fightin' Engineers.

Seated together at Saturday's autograph session, Carpenter and Rahal traded playful barbs about their teams. At one point, Carpenter made reference to Ohio State's Thad Matta, a former Butler player and assistant coach for three years before becoming head coach for the 2000-01 season.

"Be sure to remind Graham that his coach used to be our coach," Carpenter said with a laugh.